Homes burn as the Yarnell Hill Fire approaches Glenn Ilah on Sunday near Yarnell, Ariz.The fire forced the evacuation of residents in the Peeples Valley area and in the town of Yarnell.

Written by

Jackee Coe and Laurie Merrill
| Arizona Republic

An Arizona forestry official said 19 firefighters have died battling a fast-moving wildfire.

Forestry spokesman Art Morrison said the firefighters were caught by the fire Sunday afternoon near the central Arizona town of Yarnell. He says they were forced to deploy their fire shelters.

Earlier Sunday, the wildfire prompted evacuations of 50 homes in several communities about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. Later Sunday afternoon, the Yavapai County Sheriff's office expanded the evacuations to include more residents. ...